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Trista Schroeder has been named general counsel and chief operating officer of the Sundance Institute. She will take on her expanded role effective immediately.
Schroeder has served as Sundance Institute’s general counsel
since 2020, providing legal and operational counsel through a period of significant institutional change. Most recently, she led the negotiations underpinning the Institute’s request for proposal process that culminated in the selection of Boulder, Colorado, as the new home of the Sundance Film Festival beginning in 2027.
In her new capacity, Schroeder will provide executive leadership across legal affairs, governance, organizational risk management, labor relations, compliance, and organizational administration, serving as a key member of the non-profit’s executive leadership team and strategic partner to CEO David Linde. Continuing to report directly to Linde, she will work closely with executive leadership and the board of directors to strengthen organizational effectiveness, support institutional growth and sustainability, and advance the Institute’s mission — enabling Linde to focus more fully on external leadership, fundraising, strategic partnerships, and organizational vision.
“Trista has been an indispensable partner to this organization and to me. Her judgment, integrity, and command of the complex and inspirational landscape we navigate have made her a trusted voice in every major decision we’ve made,” said Linde. “Expanding her mandate to general counsel and chief operating officer reflects the full scope of what she does for this Institute — and it allows me to spend more of my time where I’m needed most: with our artists, our partners, and the broader creative community. I couldn’t be more confident in her ability to help lead us through this pivotal chapter, including our transition to Boulder.”
“The board has come to rely on Trista’s counsel not only on legal matters but on the full range of governance and operational questions that come before us,” said Ebs Burnough, Sundance Institute Board Chair. “Simply put, Sundance Film Festival’s new home in Boulder would not have been possible without her — her leadership in negotiating the agreements that brought us there was extraordinary, and the Board is deeply grateful for the discipline and judgment she brought to securing this new chapter. This expanded role formalizes a partnership that has already proven essential to the Institute’s stability and growth.”
Prior to joining Sundance Institute, Schroeder served as founding executive firector of the Hollywood Commission, working alongside Anita Hill and Kathleen Kennedy to address sexual harassment in Hollywood and advance industry-wide inclusivity and equity. She guided the commission through its start-up phase, set its strategic five-year plan, and executive produced its inaugural Hollywood Commission: Ideas Summit. Earlier in her career, Schroeder served as general counsel to The Team (formerly Wasserman) in Los Angeles, where she helped steer the company’s M&A strategy through the acquisition and integration of more than twelve companies over a five-year window, working with top athletes across the NBA, NFL, MLB, MLS, FIFA, golf, and action sports. She also served as Wasserman’s Chief Administrative Officer, establishing and leading the company’s legal department while driving corporate operations across human resources, crisis management, corporate communications, IT, and real estate.
Schroeder earned her J.D. at Georgetown University Law Center and served as a law clerk to the Honorable George H. King of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. She began her legal career as an associate at Proskauer Rose, where she advised entertainment industry clients on corporate and litigation matters including copyright and trademark enforcement, employment disputes, government investigations, and licensing. Prior to law school, Schroeder was a research producer for Charlie Rose on PBS, and began her career at Morgan Stanley.
